Antidote
by Fallen Spear
Summary: A darker take on the fictional romantic relationship of Sucy and Akko, aka Sukko. Subject matter may eventually contain romance and mental illness.
1. Beginnings

**A/N: Hello all, I'm excited to join the Sukko trend. I've been reading fanfics for a few weeks, and decided to try and add a little myself. I plan on taking the story on slowly, so expect a lot of content. Hope you enjoy!**

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The snow was falling in earnest now, blanketing the surrounding countryside in a soft and frozen blanket of pure white. Amidst the flurry, two young witches stood upon a small stone bridge that spanned the small frozen river that split the forest in two. The darker haired witch turned to walk away.

"Akko-"

"No!" Atsuko Kaguri exclaimed, turning in anger toward the puce haired witch. The desperate look on her best friend's face filled her with more determination. Turning again, she began to head toward the shelter of the forest. She stopped for the final time, unable to face the alchemist again, for fear of showing her tears. "I'm sorry, Suce. I really am." With her final goodbye, Akko sprinted off into the tree line, disappearing from sight.

Sucy Manbavaran stood shaking, her slim figure shivering more from emotion than from the cold. As the sight of her world ran away from her, the sheer blow upon the alchemist's soul from Akko's departure finally hit her, buckling her knees out from under her. Collapsing onto the bridge, her body trembled with emotion- fear, anger, and overwhelming loss. She began to sob uncontrollably- Akko was gone.

The snowfall would show her no mercy, as the flurry began to pick up around her into a raging blizzard. Defeated, Sucy lay on her side, hand outreached toward the trees where Akko had disappeared into. Her eyelids began to close as the cold began to overtake her, her body too weak from its emotional fit and her heart too wounded to cling to life. Of all the times she had wished for her own death, this was not a circumstance she had ever desired. As the frail girl's consciousness began to fade, the falling snow resting upon her as a sheet that covers the dead, her last thought became a question.

How had it come to this?

-One Year Earlier-

"Ah jeez. I'll never forgive that old hag for making me do this for her."

Sucy Manbavaran grumbled as she walked toward the looming leyline tower that stood imposingly in the distance. ' _I was really looking forward to some more testing, too.'_ The girl thought internally, shivering inwardly at the memory of this morning. Ramzan, her adoptive "mother" (if you could use the word for the shrivelled old hag), had woken her up before the sunrise, forcing her out into her next ingredient assignment.

"The cockatrice feather. Rare ingredient. Highly volatile. Found only within the forbidden forest of Arcturus; see ' _Luna Nova'_ for more details-" The girl read aloud from her _Rare Ingredients_ book, allowing her feet to lazily follow the path down the hill towards the small river that split the valley. The elderly potions master had approached her weeks ago with the ridiculous plan: Enroll in Luna Nova, pose as a student, enter the forest, get the ingredient, leave. Sucy of course had complained for the weeks leading up to the entrance ceremony day. But the old woman would always just grin her jagged tooth smile, before complaining about how her mind wasn't what it once was, and that her feeble old form was simply too old to go on such a dangerous mission.

And so, the little potion master in training had been set off on her infiltration mission, mostly thanks to the alluring reward that was promised her. "If you do this, I'll be sure to split the ingredient with you!" The old witch said with a wink, knowing this would entice Sucy to do… well, just about anything. Rare potion ingredients was one of the few things in this world that could hope to get a rise out of Sucy's otherwise bored expression. ' _That old woman sure knows how to push my buttons…'_ She thought vindictively. ' _I'll be sure to make her pay for that with her next round of medicine.'_ Sucy's grin had grown to match her guardian's wickedness throughout the years, though hers still possessed all of the owners teeth, lined with sharp fangs that resembled a shark more than a human. A little potion accident from her youth, though she had refused Ramzan's help in fixing it. "I like it," the preteen had commented, grinning into a mirror. "It makes me look more vicious, scarier. People won't get close to me this way!"

Remembering the interaction, Sucy's right arm unconsciously lifted to brush and mat the hair down that covered the left side of her face, which constantly hid her scar from the rest of the world. It was best not to let people get close. People couldn't be trusted.

She sighed, and looked back down at her book to continue reading. "The cockatrice feather has a variety of uses, most commonly used for a variety of deadly poisons and their antidotes. Be warned, the feather becomes unusable if-" She was forced to stop, as the path she was walking intersected with another, and three school-aged girls ran in front of her giggling, throwing sly glances her way. Luna Nova students she guessed, their uniforms and brooms proving her correct. Not wishing to be bothered with them, she let them run by without changing her bored expression, before setting back forward on the path and over the little stone bridge that crossed the stream. She couldn't wait for this day to be over.

Though she hated to stop there, she realized that she wasn't quite sure which path to take in order to reach the station. Stowing her book and retrieving the brochure she had received in the mail with a map, she began poring over the instructions. ' _The path was probably the one those girls took…'_ She thought begrudgingly, finally locating the bridge she had just crossed on the map. Yep, she needed to turn around. Then suddenly, as she was about to turn around-

WHAM.

A small figure had run into her, sending both itself and Sucy's brochure into the ground, leaving Sucy upright and confused. She looked down with a bored expression, just barely disguising her irritation. She would have yelled at the girl for not looking where she was going, but she realized that she was guilty of the same thing. It didn't stop her from being pissed off, though.

"I'm really sorry about that…" The figure turned out to be a girl, probably around Sucy's age. While Sucy had reached down to pick up her broom, the girl stood up, holding the brochure that Sucy had just dropped. "Hey, you dropped this! Are you a new student too?!" The girl stepped incredibly close to her, causing Sucy to look up in surprise. The young new girl's eyes shone with anticipation, a pair of bright yet soft scarlet eyes meeting a single crimson one. Sucy, though startled, didn't want to show it, and continued looking at the girl with a bored expression as she introduced herself.

Akko. The scarlet eyed witch with matching jacket that seemed to clash with her red-tinted mahogany hair. Before Sucy could decide whether or not to even respond, the girl was off on a rant about magic, shiny chariots, school, you name it. Seemed like once she got on a role, she wasn't the type to shut up.

"You have heard of her, right?!" The smaller witch held out a trading card for the other to examine, showing off the image of a red haired witch. Now Sucy remembered- Shiny Chariot. Some old magic performer from a decade ago or so. She had seen her younger adopted siblings run around talking about her before. Embarrassed, Sucy looked away from the card. Wasn't that kind of stuff just for baby's and non-witches?

' _This girl could use a real display of magic. Real, adult magic, not the showman stuff of some hasbeen.'_ Sucy looked around, spotting a stuffed bird on the ground where the girl's possessions still fell scattered. ' _Perfect.'_ She thought mischievously, leaving the girl to talk to air and approaching the bird with a hidden bottle. Pouring a small drop onto it, the magic began to take hold of the bird, glowing purple for just a moment before springing to life with a caw.

"A-amazing!" Akko stammered. "Puppet magic- I've never seen it up close before!" Akko leaned down to further inspect the bird. Reaching her arms out, she tried to coerce the puppet into her arms. ' _That's right, just a bit closer.'_ Sucy inwardly smirked. With surprising agility, the bird sprang forth, pecking Acko in the left eye with a sharp jab. Luckily, the thing was only a plush toy, so there wouldn't be any permanent damage; but the look on the girls face still filled Sucy with the kind of impish glee that only a successful prankster could fathom. Funny how her constructs always attacked the left eye, she pondered, once again stroking the hair over her own. Must be a subconscious habit.

"That wasn't very nice!" Akko exclaimed from the ground, her eye watering. The bird fell lifeless on the ground again. Sucy had already begun walking away.

As she walked, Sucy figured that the girl would leave her alone from now on. It was for the best, she thought- most people had the good sense to leave her alone, but occasionally there was that dense individual that need a little more persuading, seemingly unaware of the malevolent aura that she produced in public. Only her family had access to any interactions without spikes- and even then, the spikes were more dull than absent. Life had raised her to be tough and weary of others.

So it came much to her surprise when Akko began running up after her to continue their conversation- or in this case, monologue.

"So what's your name?" Akko asked.

No response.

"Is puppet magic difficult?"

Still, no response.

"I tried to learn it using a mail order kit, but it was pretty hard to follow…" The girl continued to ramble on, walking in pace behind Sucy as she steadily ignored the girl. Deciding it was best to get rid of the girl once and for all, Sucy stopped walking, pausing in the middle of the small stone bridge she had passed earlier. Turning with a still-bored expression, she offered her hand to the excitable witch, offering a handshake.

' _This oughta get rid of her.'_

Akko eagerly gripped Sucy's extended hand with both of hers, closing her eyes and giggling as she seemed to finally have made a friend. Upon opening her eyes however, she was greeted by the sight of two vicious serpents wrapped around her arms, lunging straight toward her throat!

She screamed in surprise, backing far away from the witch and her snakes, which remained wrapped around her arms. The back of her legs made contact with the stone rail, and she tumbled backwards, falling several feet before landing into the stream below.

Sucy had already continued walking.

She smiled to herself for her trick- a simple illusion involving ropes and and a gullible idiot. Still, the face the girl had made when she opened her eyes… Sucy snickered. It was kind of adorable, in a surprised puppy dog way. Still, she kept her ears strained to make sure the girl had emerged from the water without serious injury. The splashes the girl made as she waded from the river told Sucy that Akko was indeed okay. She liked pranks, but she wasn't looking to kill anyone. ' _At least not the girl…_ ' She thought dryly to herself.

The rest of the walk to the layline was more mundane. Finally arriving, she noticed the same giggling trio that had crossed her path earlier. Checking her watch, she saw that she still had a few minutes before it was necessary to leave. Not wishing to travel within earshot of the girls, she skulked her way to the back of the tower and sat within the grass. Opening her book, she looked for the page she had been on earlier.

"Did you hear? Apparently one of the new students this year isn't from a witch's family!"

Christ, wouldn't these girls ever shut up? She couldn't focus on her book at all! Sighing and standing back up, she decided to head out before the girls, hoping to get some reading time while she flew. She peeked around the corner just in time to see Akko running up to join the gaggle. Ducking back around the wall, she decided to wait, so as not to get an earful again. The girl was kind, but far too much to handle.

So she thought, until she became aware of what the girls had begun talking about. Two things became very clear to her in that moment: First, that the new student not from a witch's family was none other than Akko; and Second, Akko did not deserve the kind of ridicule she was being handed by these snobbish witch bitches. Sucy actually began to feel sorry for the girl, a small taste of hypocrisy left in her mouth, as she realized she had also taken advantage of the girls' lack of magic knowledge. Still, Sucy was no hero, and she was grateful to hear the sounds of the girls' departure. There was no need for her to get involved.

There was a snapping sound, followed by a loud thud, accompanied by whimpers of pain. ' _Oh crap._ ' Sucy remembered, the girl's failed attempts at climbing the wall becoming obvious to her. ' _This girl didn't have a broom; she can't fly.'_ Steeling herself, Sucy's pity for the girl finally overwhelmed her intense dislike of other people. She went to round the corner to help the girl up and offer her a ride.

Another loud crash sent her hiding behind the wall again. ' _What is with all of the clumsy witches around here?'_ She pondered incredulously, as Akko rushed to help a blonde uniform clad girl up with her things. Watching the interaction slyly, Sucy sighed a huff of relief as this new girl begrudgingly offered Akko a ride. She felt a sting of guilt watching them soar up into the leyline, before again agreeing that it was for the best. Sucy didn't mesh well with other people. Hopping onto her own broom, she waited a minute before rising up after the clumsy pair.

The swirling green vortex surrounding her, ripe with magical energy, had once been a fascination to Sucy. She had once begged Ramzan to travel with her on her distant ingredient gatherings, eager to both learn more about magic and to travel through the branches of Yggdrasil. Now, however, these sites were common place to the adolescent witch, and she lazily retrieved her book from under her cloak. She thumbed to her current page and began reading the next paragraph.

"A witch who is not properly trained cannot enter the legendary forest Arcturus." She read aloud, hoping to cut out the noise of the day's distractions. She wouldn't be so lucky, however, as was lightly tapped on the head by a falling object. She looked up, curious to find the source, only to be greeted by the site of a small white object flying toward her face. With a soft "poomf!" the thankfully light and cushioned object collided with her face, causing her to veer off course.

She was just able to pull the plush toy from her face before her vision was filled- yet again- with the face of a scarlet eyed girl, their heads colliding and sending Sucy into unconsciousness.

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 **A/N: I wanted to finish the first episode, but it was getting rather long, and I wanted to get the content out there sooner rather than later (Otherwise I might give up, oops). I won't be following the canon as closely after Arcturus, so don't worry: You'll get your fluff. And some darkness. I've got some fun plans in mind.**


	2. Arcturus Forest

**A/N: It's a long one. Glad I split the first episode up. Thanks for all the encouragement!**

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Sucy's eyes began to flutter open after an unknown length of time. The first sense to return was pain- What in the hell had happened to her? Sore head: Check. Tweak in the neck: Check. Severe pressure on the back: Wait, what was the pressure on her back?

Her body froze. It was a defensive measure that she had learned, having woken up too many times with dark figures hovering over her. In the streets of the Philippines, it had mostly been fellow sewer rats seeking to steal her valuables. But these men who had kidnapped her from her home...

' _Wait for the right moment to strike, when he's vulnerable. Then run.'_ She wouldn't be this sick fuck's plaything. The figure on her back shifted her weight, giving Sucy more mobility. Her body tensed, just about to strike…

"Yes! Thank goodness you're safe!"

A woman's voice? No, a girls. There was a squeal, and the figure jumped off of her back.

Right. Sucy was a teenager now. She was rescued by Ramzan. She was on her way to Luna Nova. The memories started to come back to her now, easing her mind and heart rate considerably. She breathed a sigh of relief, her body relaxing, the pain settling in once again. The strange girls voice was a familiar one, and suddenly she was able to recall the Scarlet eyed witch crashing into her, knocking them both out of the leyline. Fuming mad once again, she rose up behind the praying witch like the dead from their grave. Her aching neck and back certainly made her feel the part.

"Could you be anymore of a pain in the neck?" She seethed. This girl could have killed her, a fact that Sucy wouldn't soon forget.

The girl- Akko, right? Looked at Sucy in panicked disbelief. "Y-You're alive!"

Sucy looked at the girl, who was holding the Shiny Chariot trading card that she had been fawning over earlier. ' _Of course.'_ So that's what she had been worried about. Trying to stuff the strange unease of her disappointment at not being the source of Akko's concern, she forced her angry demeanor into her usual bored expression.

"It's not easy to kill a witch." A favorite saying of Ramzan, who often hinted at having lived through more trying times for magical folk. Sucy had adopted the saying, having been saved from peril a few times herself due to unexplainable acts of magic back when she was a child. It also just sounded cool.

There was another girlish squeal, and Akko looked up in search of the source. "Lotte!" She remembered, rushing around a nearby tree to investigate. Sucy followed her, beginning to investigate their surroundings. With a small feeling of glee and apprehension mixed into one, Sucy realized something.

"It seems we've arrived at our destination."

"This is Luna Nova?" Akko began searching the surrounding forest, looking confused. "Then where's the ceremony at?"

The blonde witch (whose name Sucy had already forgotten) stood up, holding the broken pieces of her broom. "I'm not exactly sure where we are…"

The elation in Sucy's chest begin to rize, at it often did when she came close to obtaining her rarer ingredients. She looked away from the other witches and explained with two simple words: "Arcturus Forest." She had expected it to take weeks to get here!

The leylines weren't exactly an exact science. Truthfully, the trio of witches could have been dumped out just about anywhere in the world when they came toppling out. But it seemed life would show her good favor today. ' _It's about damn time.'_ She grumbled inwardly.

They began walking, Sucy falling in line behind the other two, listening to the blonde witch explain the legends of the forest. ' _How should I ditch the dead weight?'_ She began to ponder. After all, there wasn't really any reason to stick with the clumsy pair. ' _It's a shame, though. I should really pay them back for knocking me out…'_ Well, she supposed it couldn't be helped.

Or could it?

After all, she hadn't exactly come up with a plan on how to deal with the cockatrice. Her plan had been to catch it sleeping, or to knock it out with a potion, but there was a great deal of risk involved in those two plans. ' _I didn't come this far just to get eaten by a damn bird.'_ But these two… Well, they're witches after all. They could probably survive acting as decoys for just a few minutes, right?

Ahead of her, the girls began to gripe about missing the Luna Nova ceremony. Sucy piped up, "You should also consider that we may never get out."

Akko looked back at her, fear filling her eyes. "Never get out? That's not funny!" The girl was scared, and that much more dependent on Sucy's more confident demeanor. All according to plan.

"Look, it's all our missing luggage!" Akko exclaimed, running over to pick up her ridiculous plush bird. Unbeknownst to the young witch, a giant glowing flower poised itself above her, eyes (for lack of a better term) glowing with malice and hunger. Akko finally noticed it, and her eyes glowed with wonder, completely unaware of her situation.

"Akko, get away from it!" The blonde witch yelled, causing Akko to look back at her. Sucy just began to snicker. Watching this girl approach a man eating flower without a care in the world was just… funny. Was this girl really that much of an idiot?

The flower moved in, hunting its prey. Finally becoming aware of the danger, Akko turned and began running, following after the other girls. She cried out, "What is that thing?!"

"It's a type of human-eating plant known as a mandrake!" Sucy explained, continuing to lead the girls away from the menacing flower. She needed her sacrifices alive. "This way!" She called out, sliding down a hill, hoping to escape the mandrake's limited area of movement. They had a long reach, but they were still rooted to the ground.

And there she saw it- The giant sized footprint pressed into the soft earth, resembling a chicken's claw. She bent down to examine it- ' _Still fresh. It's nearby.'_ This was perfect.

As she examined the footprint, she heard the sounds of Akko tumbling down the hill behind her, comedically sprawling upside down against the base of a tree. Sucy stifled another snicker- This girl's life was like watching one of those old black and white cartoons she used to watch with her foster siblings. You know, where the buffoonish character is always getting hurt in seemingly lethal ways, only to walk away with minor injuries.

' _Focus, Sucy. Now's not the time to be making friends.'_ As if she could ever do such a thing anyway. She wouldn't even know what to do with friends. She wasn't exactly a likeable person.

She reached into her satchel, pulling out more of the rope she had used on Akko back on the bridge, laying it out into a circular pattern on the ground. "Hey," she called to the other witches. "Over here you two." She waved them toward her, signalling them to stand in the center of the circle.

"What's up?" Akko asked, as they moved where they were directed. It was good that Sucy had developed some good faith with the girl. Or maybe she was just the trusting type? The girl was certainly stupid enough.

"Just about here." Sucy signalled them to stop in the center, pulling out a flask of potion. Dripping some on the ropes, she muttered the incantation: " _Juras Haras Haras._ " The rope began to glow purple just as the bird had earlier, conforming itself around the confused pair into a ball shaped cage while hardening during the process. Sucy thought they rather looked like little gerbils in a toy ball. Though for scientific purposes, I guess that would make them more like guinea pigs than hamsters. ' _Heh heh, guinea pig. I like that.'_ Sucy thought maliciously.

"What's all this?" Akko inquired, still with a look of trust in her eyes.

"Now repeat this spell-" Sucy told her in an irritated voice. She was almost getting mad at the girl's naivety, it made her stomach feel weird. Was this guilt? She didn't have time for guilt!

"Another one?" Akko asked.

"Will it help us find our way?" The blonde girl asked hopefully.

Sucy ignored them. "Kutchur Katela Flala."

Akko fumbled with the pronunciation. "Kutchur Kateh… eh.. Hura-rah?"

"Kutchur Katela Flala! Now utilize your diaphragm!" Sucy yelled. Her irritation was finally starting to show.

Akko huffed in a large breath before yelling, "Kutchur Katela Flalaaaa!" Her voice echoed throughout the surrounding forest for a few moments, before it was was met with the terrifying roar of some unknown creature, followed by the sound of tremendous foot steps. Seconds later, the towering figure of a giant bird hovered over them, peering into the cage at the scarlet eyed witch who had just unknowingly insulted it.

Sucy eyed her prize greedily. The cockatrice was covered its gloriously useful feathers, much as a chicken would be. In fact, most of the bird resembled a giant chicken, save for the serpent tail, its blue tail feathers and its unusual magical abilities.

As it peered in at her, Akko gave a nervous laugh. "H-Hello there!" She exclaimed, before looking back at Sucy. "So what exactly did that last spell do?"

"You called it a stupid bird, and now it wants to eat you. Good luck!" She mounted her broom as the girls looked at her, completely flabbergasted. "The cockatrice only exists in the Forest of Arcturus. It has a lethal toxin in its feathers, and its highly sought after by poison collectors. So go ahead and draw its attention while I remove some feathers!" She explained all this while continuing to rise into the air, circling around behind the monstrous creature.

"Wait, so you trapped us in here just to be decoys?!" Akko fumed at her from the ground.

"Sacrifices, actually. Cast the spell one more time!" Sucy called out, zeroing in on her price. She just needed a single blue feather from the tail.

She could hear Akko's voice screaming, "Get back here!" But her heart was already set on its prize. When she got like this, she couldn't help herself. The scientist in her would go to any length, no matter how unkind or immoral. It was an incredibly strong part of her personality.

The creature lunged at the cage, it's beak burying into the ground as the girls inside began to roll away. The cockatrice, with surprising agility, began to chase after them.

"Oh yeah, you should probably make sure he doesn't breathe on you, cause you'll turn into stone!" She called out playfully, the scientist now completely having taken over. ' _I wonder how long they'll last?'_ She thought impishly, before giving chase to the bird. At that moment, the cockatrice let out a gaseous breath attack, just missing the rolling cage and turning the forest ahead of it into stone, trees and all. ' _I should be careful, too.'_ She thought dryly. ' _We don't have the resources to unpetrify someone here, and nobody even knows we're out here.'_

But the bird was blessedly distracted by its chase, so she moved in towards the tail. After a few failed attempts, she finally grasped her prize- a blue tail feather, that slowly faded to white as it reached the base. With a sharp -yank!- she managed to pull it from the bird. She slowed down, turning away to escape and examine her prize.

"Heh heh, got it!" she chuckled to herself, pleased with the results. She was so focused on her prize, she hadn't even realized that the thunderous sounds of the cockatrice's footsteps had disappeared.

She felt the creatures breath on her back, a low grumble of a roar echoing somewhere in its throat behind her.

"Shoot."

With a burst of hot gas, a gray cloud shot out of the cockatrice's beak, with Sucy just barely able to dodge out of the way. She now had its full attention, the theft of its feather apparently a far greater offense than the verbal insults of the other witch. It continued to fire blast after blast after the young witch, who fearfully darted through the air, just barely managing to avoid being turned to stone.

' _This is not good, this is really not good.'_ Sucy thought to herself. She may have underestimated her enemy just a bit, flying around its head in an attempt to confuse it. But the creature was ferocious in its attack, never losing sight of the puce haired nuisance that had stolen its feather.

' _I have to get out of here, I have to get out of h-'_ She thought frantically. Her stream of thought was cut off by a particularly well placed blast that threw her off balance in order to avoid. She panicked as he looked into the eyes of her doom. Time seemed to slow down for her, as she gravely became aware of her impending death.

In that moment, the scientist within her grew quiet, while another voice began to speak up. This was the price of her greed, wasn't it? After all, she had carelessly used others for her own gain. She closed her eyes, preparing to accept her fate. Was she any worse than the men that had picked her off the streets and sold her to the Europeans? Any worse than the men who bought her, who touched her, who…

"Kutchur Katela Flala!"

The bird, just about to blow another stream into Sucy, turned its head toward the source of the insult. Standing down below, waving a stick around, was Akko.

"Hey! Over here, demon! Betcha can't catch me!" Akko cried out, waving her arms out to keep the bird's attention.

Sucy looked down at the girl in shock. Akko, who Sucy had admitted to using as a sacrifice for her own gain, was coming to save her? Akko, who had no broom or hope of escape, was risking her life to save her?

Akko was _saving_ her?

Before she had time to react, the bird let out a tremendous roar before chasing after the little witch on the ground. Akko turned and ran the opposite direction, disappearing into the tree line. This left Sucy hovering alone in the air above the clearing, holding the blue feather and sorting out her warring emotions.

' _Get out of here, now's your chance!'_

' _Akko saved your life, you have to help her!'_

' _Why would she help me? How could someone be so stupid? How could someone be…'_

' _So kind?'_ She didn't know what to do with the realization. After all the world had been to her, she had only met this kind of sacrifice once before, when Ramzan had saved her from the streets of London and raised her as her own. Though Sucy would never admit it to her, the old woman was the only person in this world she considered family, the only one she trusted to care. But seeing it here, in this situation, from this girl?

"I have to go after her." She was resolved, the doubt clearing from her mind. She had to make this right.

She took flight in the direction the monster had run, but was stopped short by a voice calling from the ground. "Sucy!" She looked down to find the blonde haired witch waving toward her, a panicked look on her face. "Akko is being chased by the monster, please! We have to help her!"

Sucy dropped quickly to land next to the girl. "Get on!" The girl swung her leg over, and they took off again after the bird.

The sounds coming from the clearing ahead made her chest tighten with fear. Was she too late? Had the bird caught her and overwhelmed her? She sped ahead even faster, though the broom was considerably slower with two people. She burst through the tree line, finally able to see the monstrous bird. The sounds she had heard were coming from the struggle between the cockatrice and the mandrake that had pursued them earlier- Had Akko led the bird here on purpose?

Sucy looked down and breathed a sigh of relief, her chest finally relaxing. Akko was sitting on the ground, watching the warring creatures with a look of satisfaction. The girl was covered in scrapes and bruises, but otherwise seemed to be without harm. "Hey!" Sucy called out, causing the girl to look up at her. "Hop on!" She lowered the broom so that the girl could climb on behind her.

As she took off again, she became aware of the intensely intimate situation of riding a single broom with three riders. She was forced closer to the blonde girl in front of her, and Akko held on to her tightly from behind, her arms wrapping around Sucy's midriff and causing her heartbeat to accelerate. Sucy was very unused to human contact, mostly because it so often reminded her of the gruffer handlers of her youth…

They sped up to the top speed the broom could manage with this many passengers, Akko's hands tightening around her waist as they did so. To her surprise, Sucy found that she didn't mind this so much- her hands were very light and gentle, even as her grip tightened into more of a hug, the side of her face jammed into the back of Sucy's neck.

"Thanks for the help! Umm…" Akko trailed off for a moment, before Sucy realized: Sucy had never given the girl her name.

"Oh, it's Sucy. Sucy Manbavaran."

Akko tightened her grip a little more, a sign of appreciation that Sucy wasn't quite sure how to handle. "It's nice to meet you, Sucy." If the brunette witch's voice hadn't been right in her ear, Sucy would have sworn she had misheard the girl. After everything, this girl was still dishing out pleasantries?

Before she had more time to dwell on the girl behind her, Sucy heard a large explosion behind them, followed by the tremendous roar of the cockatrice that had taken flight behind them.

"It just won't quit!" Akko yelled, seemingly frustrated that the bird had escaped its fight with the Mandrake. It seems the trio had angered it enough so that no distraction would divert it for very long. They either needed to defeat this bird or escape very far away.

Sucy's thought process was cut off once again, this time by a hot jet of fire sent at them from the pursuing cockatrice. The girls were just able to dodge out of the way, while Akko complained, "It can blow fire too?!" Sucy quietly echoed the girl in her mind. ' _Nobody told me that, either.'_ Yet another problem she hadn't foreseen. She had really gotten them into quite a mess.

Another jet of fire blew close, this time setting the tail of her broom on fire. Panicking, Sucy looked back to see Akko batting at the fire with the stick in her hand, which she noticed was a rather fancy looking bejewelled staff. ' _Is that a wand?'_ Sucy wondered. Where had the girl gotten that?

Sucy felt a hot jet of flame just below her, singing her dress and legs beneath her. Suddenly, the broom that they were on succumbed to the flames, and disappeared into ash. With the broom gone, the girls began to free fall several hundred feet toward the forest.

' _Well, I won't say it was a nice life. But at least I won't have to die alone.'_ Sucy felt a surge of guilt admitting this, seeings as it was her fault that they had ended up angering the beast. But selfishly, she was glad to have someone there with her at the very end. Her eyes closed as she remembered Akko's warmth on her back: "It's nice to meet you, Sucy…"

She opened her eyes too take a last look at the girl who had saved her life. She wanted to say goodbye, and to admit that she was sorry. But before she could open her mouth, Sucy became awestruck by the sight in front of her.

Akko was clutching her wand, which was glowing with a powerful magical energy. As though in prayer, she began to chant a spell.

"Noctu Orfei…" She drew the rod to her chest. "Aude… Fraetor!" With the last word, she opened her eyes, holding the rod out in front of her towards the ground that was rushing towards them. With a burst of power and look of confidence, the girl called out, "Shiny…" As she did so, the rod became a golden longbow in her left hand. "Ark!" She cried, her right hand coming down to grasp a golden arrow which had formed in her hand. She pulled the bow back to its full draw, before releasing it with a burst of green energy.

' _This girl... '_ Sucy wondered, with genuine surprise. ' _Who is she?!'_ The sight of Akko in that moment was nothing short of impressive. Sucy even felt goosebumps growing on her arms, almost entirely forgetting the danger of the impending collision with the ground.

She then looked down to follow the path of the arrow, which arced toward the forest before disappearing from sight. With another magical burst, a tear seemed to form in the air below them, opening up a green colored wormhole, filled with the vines of Yggdrasil. ' _Is that the leyline?! How did she…'_ Sucy's thought trailed off, unable to think of an explanation. Without time to think, the trio of witches fell into the open portal which, thankfully, seemed to close behind them. Sucy had one last look behind her to verify that the cockatrice hadn't followed them in. It seems they had escape it.

The girls continued to fall, being guided through the leyline by some mysterious magical force around them. After a few moments, they began to approach a bright light, signalling an exit path. There was a bright flash, and they suddenly found themselves thrown into the air in a crowded hall. Sucy fell to the floor face first and, very aware that they had become the center of attention, chose to hide there in the ground for a while. Akko, however, seemed to be completely unperturbed by her audience.

"Alright!" The girl cried out exuberantly. "I made it in time!" With that, the girl began to giggle hysterically, completely overwhelmed with joy at having made it in time to the entrance exam.

Sucy finally looked up at the girl and smiled. The innocent way she laughed after just facing death, in the middle of a crowd of people- Sucy couldn't help but respect the girl in that moment. She truly was a different kind of person, whom Sucy could never hope to be.

' _I guess she isn't so bad after all.'_ She thought with a smirk.

-Later That Night-

Sucy sat on her bed in the dorm room she had been guided to, next the little blonde girl that had been with them in the forest. The girl had, thankfully, reintroduced herself as Lotte. It seemed as though this witch was rather shy, as, after a short conversation, the girl grew quiet. Sucy was grateful for this, finally giving her mind some time to process the events of the forest, and what she should do next.

The cockatrice feather was lying beside her on the desk, serving as both the symbol of her success and the price they had almost paid for Sucy's greed. She could hardly even look at it now, finally feeling shame for the way she had acted. Though she had planned to leave as soon as she was able to, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it- At least, not until she had had a chance to speak with Akko.

There was a light knock on the door, signalling the arrival of their third roommate. Sucy could only hope it wouldn't be one of the girls from this morning. ' _It's probably going to be some stuck up, snooty rich girl with a stick up her…'_

The door opened to reveal an elderly witch, who had a sour look on her face. She said to the person behind her, "Say hello to your new roommates."

Peering out from behind the door frame was a nervous looking brunette with scarlet eyes, who gave a cry of surprise at seeing her new roommates. After stepping into the room, Akko began to stare at the girls, simply looking dumbfounded. Lotte greeted her with a smile, while Sucy just stared at her. She was going to be roommates with Akko?

"Listen carefully, girls. For the next three years, we will be giving especially strict guidance to the three of you." With that, the witch turned and left the room.

Akko finally regained her senses, and smiled warmly at the two girls. "My name's Atsuko Kagari. It's a pleasure!"

Lotte greeted her back, and the two began to cheerfully delight in their designation as roommates. Sucy merely watched them, her mind racing once again with conflicting thoughts.

' _There's no reason to stay here, you have what you came for. Go home.'_

' _You need to talk to Akko first…'_

' _Why can't you stay? What if you like it here?'_

' _But the feather…'_

"Akko, could I talk privately with you for a moment?" Sucy suddenly piped up, surprising the girls.

"Oh. Sure thing, Sucy!" Akko exclaimed, while Lotte gave her a worried look. It seemed she still hadn't forgotten Sucy's earlier betrayal, even after all that had happened. Sucy didn't blame her.

Sucy turned to walk into the corridor, with Akko following her. They walked a little ways until she was sure they were out of earshot from anyone else.

Sucy turned to look her in the eyes, one crimson meeting two scarlet.

"I'm sorry." Her voice seemed all wrong, it was lacking sincerity and sounded rather bored. But it was the best she could do. "I used you and Lotte as bait and put all of our lives in danger. The whole reason I even came to this school was to get that feather, but I should have found a better way. It was callous of me."

Akko looked at her with surprise. "...Thank you for apologizing." She finally muttered shyly, averting her eyes in embarrassment. She looked up again and said, "I can understand wanting something really bad though! The whole reason I came here was to learn magic and be like Shiny Chariot!"

Stupid girl. Did she just equate her dream to Sucy's malicious manipulation of another person for personal gain? She really didn't get what had happened.

"Akko-"

"I'm not stupid you know." Sucy gave her a questioning look. "Okay, so I can be pretty dumb sometimes. But I know what you did and why you did it. It wasn't nice, and it made me really angry at the time! But then, well…" She looked away shyly again. "You came back to save me when you could have run, and you rescued Lotte as well…" She looked at Sucy sheepishly. "You can't be a bad person if you did that!" Her smile erupted into a grin.

Sucy looked at her with disbelief. Not once had she ever met a girl, a person, with this kind of smile. It was innocent, it was trusting, it was… ' _Warm. She's so warm.'_ Sucy found herself drawn to this girl, images of her in the forest flashing through her mind. The way she saved Sucy by distracting the cockatrice, the sight of her holding the magic bow, the feeling of her warmth against Sucy's back on the broom…

"I-I don't really know what to say." Sucy mumbled. "I was really glad to have met you, Akko."

"Met…" Akko pondered, wheels clicking in her head. "Why would you phrase it like that?"

"I didn't plan on staying here. I have to get back to my gran." Sucy said, feeling a strange pain in her throat as she watched the scarlet eyed witch begin to tear up.

"No, you can't leave! We're supposed to go to school together! We get to be roommates, we can study and laugh together!" Her face was desperate, pleading. "I don't want to lose a friend I just got!"

"...Friends?" Sucy repeated blankly. She had never had a friend before. Is that what this girl was to her?

"I know you might not feel the same way about me," Akko shyly started. "But I think of you that way at least. I didn't have many friends growing up, and I was so excited to find some classmates that didn't make fun of me for not coming from a witch's family! I guess it's kind of presumptuous for me to call you a friend though, without knowing how you feel…"

Before Sucy could reply, the door behind them opened up, revealing a fairy messenger. "Ms. Manbavaran? We received a call through the magic ball channel for you. We normally don't let students answer calls this late, but the woman was making quite a fuss…" He trailed off, feeling uncomfortable.

Sucy felt irritated at being cut off, but then was hit with a moment of inspiration. "Could you mail a package for me?" She asked the fairy.

He looked ready to refuse such a late night request, but there was an aura to this girl that greatly resembled the imposing woman on the crystal ball. "Yes, we can get it out by carrier fowl." He begrudgingly admitted.

"Great." Looking at Akko, she said, "I'll be right back!" Before rushing into the room. A moment later, she emerged carrying a large parcel with an address, and handed it to the unwilling fairy. "I'll be right back- I just have to go tell my gran that I'm staying."

Akko's eyes lit up, easing the tightness in Sucy's chest once again. "You are?! Yay!" the girl exclaimed, before hugging Sucy tightly around the neck, choking her.

"Ak- Ko- Cant… Breath…!" She pinched the girl on the arm, causing her to yelp and pull back, looking hurt. But she quickly grinned, and mouthed a quick "sorry!"

A few minutes later, Sucy was sitting to talk to Ramzan.

"It's about time I reached you!" The elderly witch cackled. "How was your trip?"

"Eventful." Sucy said nonchalantly. "Ended up falling out the leyline into the forest. Got the feather. Almost died. No big deal."

Ramzan looked at her with concern, before smirking and saying, "I knew I was right to trust you, my little mushy mush." Sucy shivered- she hated that nickname. "So I expect I'll be seeing you home soon, then?"

"Actually…" Sucy trailed off, unsure of how to continue. "I was thinking that I might like to… y'know… stay, for a while." The smallest shadow of a blush could be seen under the girls exposed eye. "Maybe I could learn something here… Make a few… friends?" She looked up inquiringly, asking permission.

"Friends?" Ramzan face, usually so impishly mischievous, was transformed into a genuine smile of surprise. Knowing however that teasing the girl would be harmful, she merely paused for a moment, before saying "Yes, I believe that would be alright. Just be sure to get that feather home to me."

"Thanks, gran!" The old woman smiled endearingly at her favorite nickname. "And I already sent your half of the feather to you." Sucy felt elation at the success of her mission once again.

"Half? Oh dear… You didn't cut it, did you?" The woman's face looked panicked.

"Of course… You said you would split it with me, didn't you?"

The old woman sighed. "You didn't read the book I gave you, did you?" Sucy thought back. She had tried to read it on the way there, but she assumed she would have lots of time. A memory came back from earlier that day, one that seemed so long ago…

' _The cockatrice feather has a variety of uses, most commonly used for a variety of deadly poisons and their antidotes. Be warned, the feather becomes unusable if-'_

"They don't work if you cut them, you have to use the whole ingredient, deary." Ramzan began to cackle at the distraught look on Sucy's face.

"B-but you said you'd split it with me! That's the whole reason I did this!" Sucy's voice began to rise, her face becoming flushed with irritation.

"Oh Sucy." The old witch cooed softly. Then with an impish grin, she said, "I lied, obviously!" And began to cackle hysterically once again.

Sucy was dumbfounded. All of that work, all of that danger, and she had screwed it up in the end. She hung her head in defeat.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you decided to stay, mushy mush." The witch cackled through her laugher. "Because now you have to get me another one!"

"Just kill me now." Sucy got up, leaving the old witch to laugh herself to death in hysterics. She had a feeling she'd never get that laughter out of her head.

* * *

 **A/N: Yikes, Sucy is all over the place in this one. But humans are like that; I like the opportunity to open her character up more, see more than just a static potions maniac. Episode 8 showed a lot of personalities, so I thought I'd give them voices early. Also, what the fuck happened in her childhood? Guess you'll find out!**

 **As I mentioned previously, I'll be pulling away from the anime more after this. While it was fun writing along side things we've seen, nobody wants to read an episode-by-episode recap. We want fluff and gore! Emotional gore.**

 **Stay tuned.**


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